hankyoreh

during a seminar held March 18 in Gwanghwamun

Lee Hae-young, a professor of international trade at Hanshin University, has proposed that the South Korean government renegotiate the free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States, saying the government should embrace repeated requests for renegotiation from the United States as a chance to review provisions it feels are unfair.

Lee made his proposal at a seminar titled, “Responding to South Korea-U.S. FTA Renegotiation.” The seminar was held March 18 in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, and was co-organized by the Trade and Democracy Institute, the Korea Research Institute and the Korea Peninsula Foundation.

Lee said the U.S. demand for renegotiation has presented a new challenge for those opposed to the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. “If we oppose the U.S. demand for renegotiation, we face the possibility of supporting the wrong negotiation process and fighting for the wrong agreement,” Lee said.

Responding to the suggestion by conservative media outlets that South Korea to accept the U.S. demand for renegotiation, Lee said that doing so would be like “accepting another unfair provision.”

He urged civic organizations that are critical of the South Korea-U.S. FTA to “demand their government renegotiate the deal and go beyond its defensive rhetoric.”

Under the current circumstances, Lee said civic groups need to be more active in talking with people in the U.S. Congress who favor fair trade, and suggested that they prepare an alternative to the current deal.

Lee also called on the South Korean government to swiftly legislate a Trade Procedure Act, which would require the government to get approval from the National Assembly before signing any free trade agreements.

In addition, Lee said that if the South Korean government wants to prevent the United States from demanding that the deal be renegotiated, it will have to be the first to request renegotiation, rather than calling for the National Assembly to ratify it before the U.S. Congress does.

South Korea and the United States signed the free trade pact in 2007, but it still must be ratified by the legislatures of both countries.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]